Parallel sounds in harmony are a great way to blend the chords of a key center and create colors in music that bring out interesting sounds. On this weeks "Guitar Blog Insider" we're going to make a study of how you can use, "Parallel Major and Minor Tonality in Chord Progressions."

Chord changes that create this type of harmonic effect can float from Major tonality ideas to Minor tonality. Or, they can make the shift going in the opposite direction.

Either way you do it, it sounds cool when you produce this effect. And, once produced, the effect of these chord changes will bring out a great sound regardless of the directional method that you use to perform them.

I've composed an 8-bar example for you, make a quick study of the chord harmony. It's in the key of "A Major," and it uses the parallel tonality of "A Minor."EXAMPLE:

click on the above image to enlarge full-screen

If this is a new concept for you, the application of "Parallel Harmonies" in music, is something that will probably take you a little time to be able to get used to working into your composing.But, if you follow the basic guidelines I've explained in the video, you'll quite likely start having some success doing this within a short period of time. I personally prefer this sound in a more jazz oriented context. But, it's completely up to you, for how you'd like to apply this into your music.

Just be sure to test the formatting of how you'll produce making shifts between Major and Minor in a number of different ways. Test with Seventh chords, and with triads, and most importantly watch out for, and listen for, these effects in music that you enjoy.